An LGBT Mormons
group is urging church leaders to stay out of the fight
to nullify the California supreme court ruling May 15
legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. The
group, known as Affirmations, released a statement on
Wednesday asking critics and conservative groups not
to lend their support to an upcoming ballot initiative
that would amend the California state constitution to define
marriage as the union of one woman and one man.
According to the
Associated Press, Affirmations executive director Olin
Thomas wrote that the court ruling does not affect the
doctrine of the Mormon Church or the sacred ceremonies
conducted in its temples, which bind couples for
eternity.
"We encourage LDS
leaders to find a new focus by preaching and living a
gospel of love and respect toward all peoples and all
families," he said in the statement. He also said that
the ruling is about civil marriage as an institution
of the state, and not one that dictates a religion's
acknowledgment of gay marriage. Leaders from the Mormon
Church, along with Roman Catholics, evangelicals, and
Orthodox Jews, filed briefs in the supreme court case
asking the court to keep the ban on gay marriage.
In 2000, the
church worked actively to build support for Proposition
22 in California, a ballot measure that changed state law to
ban gay marriage. (The Advocate)
